Youth team head for Holland

The West Ham United Youth Team set off for Holland this morning to play in the ADO tournament. As the coach prepared to carry its cargo of talented youngsters away from Chadwell Heath and off to The Hague, Academy boss Tony Carr spoke about the trip.

"It's fantastic preparation for the lads ahead of the new season," he said. "The matches are sure to be very competitive and will help to increase our sharpness and fitness. The boys will definitely benefit from participating in this.

"It's great experience and it's something we have done several times before with our teams. We have plenty of games to play in a short space of time, so it will be tough, but it will also be rewarding.

"We are all looking forward to the tournament and the upcoming season is sure to be a good one. We finished runners-up in the League last year and we are hoping to build on that and finish one better this year!"

Make sure to buy a copy of the official matchday programme on Saturday to read Tony Carr's Youth Team column….